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Re: 75 summilux version differences?

i think the very earliest version of this did have a 1m near focus limit, detachable hood, and possibly (not sure on this) an E58 filter like the earliest f/1 Noctis.

the second version was E60, .7m near focus, and built in hood. almost all of these until the end were made in Canada.

the very last version (and not really a change at all) was made in Germany. some say that this may be slightly lighter but, if so, it is still a beast of a lens and the difference is negligible.

the 75 Lux is one of the (if not THE) most difficult lens to focus. calibration must be perfect with your body, etc., and even then.... there was/is a bias towards the German model because many people felt this was more solid and less prone to shifts, much in the way that the chrome model is touted for the 35 Lux.

i've seen many beautiful shots with the Canadian version and many more of these were made. i can't honestly say that it is any less of a lens -- though I did actually pay more and get a German lens as i was quite skittish about buying such a difficult lens without trying it first. (i had, however, tried a German model and shied away because of the cost and then realised i had to have it but it was sold -- so i was a little superstitious and was trying to replicate the lens i lost.) i'm usually not a snob in this way, but for the 75 Lux i was.

if you have a chance to try it and it works perfectly on your body and/or trust the seller or are willing to pay to have it recalibrated, there isn't a reason not to get a Canadian version in my mind.

it's one of my favourite lenses of all and, even if i get tempted by the much lighter 75 Cron, i would never let go of this lens. it's one of my "over my dead body" lenses and it's quite obvious why this was Mandler's favourites (remember, too, he was actually based in Canada).

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I ve had both of the Canadian versions and there was no difference optically. You could even make a case that the removable hood version has some advantages. This is a preference item ....but the lenses with pull out shades ...have a risk of getting dinged. After I learned about the heavystar screw in hoods (cheap,solid ,ebay around $10).....I use them on most lenses . On the longer versions ...I tape the hood as this is where you get rub marks.

The differences between the 75 lux and the 75 summicron are worth considering. The 75 lux has a beautiful bokeh and a lower contrast ...while being very sharp....not many lenses can do this. The 75 summicron is like the 50 asph ...exceptional on any measure...but a modern Leica optic. From my experience this is as good as it gets in IQ right there with the 50 asph .

If you are most interested in portraits ...the 75 lux is the one you want. For just about anything else the 75 summicron is substantially better.

But....be prepared to have to work hard with the 75 lux. First...these lenses are at the very edge of the CRF limits . This means they have to be dead on calibrated (expensive due to the mount design which was individually adjusted for every lens....no trading out a mount....these go to Solms for calibration...I paid $800 and it took 3 trips).

Then you have deal with a very long throw ....which means slow to focus. This is necessary to be very accurate in focusing. Try shooting a portrait of a child ..you have a few inches of DOF for a head shot.

Then the size and weight...the 75 lux is a beast and balances poorly (that front element group is heavy).

The biggest issue with the 75 s has been the inaccurate frame lines which will be a problem again in the M9 unless you are always close. The magnifier really helped me. When I went to the 1.4x for long lenses...the 75 s really pop into focus.

That was the rationale expose on the 75 s .....you want the bokeh ...so just get the lens calibrated(I would try DAG first) and use a magnifier.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I owned both German and Canadian 2nd version and couldn't tell the difference between the two. Sold the German one to Cam and still own the Canadian one. They both focus perfectly on my M8 so I never did anything to them. If you have focusing problems I would check the body first before doing anything to the lens. The focusing problem manifests itself more with anything longer than 35mm with wide open aperture at f1.4.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

Originally Posted by cdnguyen

I owned both German and Canadian 2nd version and couldn't tell the difference between the two. Sold the German one to Cam and still own the Canadian one. They both focus perfectly on my M8 so I never did anything to them. If you have focusing problems I would check the body first before doing anything to the lens. The focusing problem manifests itself more with anything longer than 35mm with wide open aperture at f1.4.

Charles -- i am still madly in love with mine! thank you for letting it go

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I must be dead nuts lucky.

My eyes are such that I thought about selling my brand new M9 because of focus issues (with my eyes, not the camera)

I did my grandsons birthday parties yesterday and many of the shots were with the 75 Lux (late SN / German made). I have had this lens since the beginnings of the M8 journey and now with the M9 and have had absolutely no focus issues with it. If the light is good, there are no issues at all. Inside the building where the party was held the light was very poor and I missed a number of shots based on my ability to clearly see the focus rectangle. I did not have a magnifier on and that could have helped.

I think the 75 Cron is a wonderful lens, fully at the edge of camera optics. But if you could only have one, the lux is just so special! JMHO of course

By the way I am attaching the test shot I did today with the M9 and the 35Lux. I know this is a 75 Lux thread and so I apologize but I printed this test image at 22x30 and frankly I love the files from the M9. It will be interesting to compare the M9 files to the S2 (when available) Please don't be too hard on me for the boring nature of the attached file. I have had the M9 for four days now and the weather has been putrid! Grey, snowy, cold etc. As soon as I saw even a few rays of sun I just had to go shoot something and this was it. LOL

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

O.K Cam (and others) here are a few shots from today which I think are useful for evaluation. I still didn't have the magnifier on so I was pretty dependent on the old 72 year old eyes.

Today the sun made for super high contrast light and there was no way I could use the Lux wide open at ISO 160. So I did my best but these were shot at 1/2850 seconds and the aperture was (I believe) either 4.0 or 5.6

I shot the Karate shot because I have a vivid recall of the red color on the sign. It came out of C1 almost dead on. I added a bit more red in Photoshop til it looks most as I remembered it.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have light such that I can shoot wide open And for that I really will need the magnifier.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

In my opinion, the 75mm Summilux is one of the most unique lenses currently available, and that includes a wide spectrum! I own a German-made version and really appreciate that is lighter than the previous designs. One reads in the various forums that the difference in weight is due to cheaper components in the late versions, although none of these claims are substantiated. I would love to hear the straight story.

While it is large and heavy, I find that it does have a balance when mounted on the body that feels good in the hands. My biggest challenge with using it is the long focus throw.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

When I bought my 75 Lux, I was looking at 2 or 3 copies, and the two new ones (with built-in hood) had rather stiff focusing, with the resulting slight difficulty in making small adjustments to the focus, so I ended up buying an early version, with separate hood. I wonder if the focus throw on these is identical?

A couple of days ago I went to my Leica pusher to place myself on the M9 list, and was playing with an M9 with the 50 Summarit, as well as an older M8 and an M8.2, one of which had the 75 Summarit mounted. Without thinking much about, I picked it up and started turning the focus ring, but immediately it hit the opposite stop. I mean, I felt like I had turned it 10 degrees, compared to my Lux The entire focus range is probably 90 degrees, whereas the Lux is perhaps 180. What a difference.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I have the steer, but the fit was very bad, and in the end I didn't like it much. It is huge and kinda gets in my way. My copy focuses smoothly anyway, even for small movements. This is why I bought the older version, since the two newer copies I tried were a little jerky for tiny adjustments.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I know this is an old post, but just had to add my experiences for the next person who's looking for info on this exquisite lens.

I was lucky enough to just find one locally, in pristine condition (previous owner had it sitting on a shelf w/ little use for a couple of years). It's still early yet, but I have to say, I LOVE this lens and agree that this is definitely something that you grow akin to very quickly.

Its hard to describe, but there is magic in its ability to stay sharp where focused wide open (provided your eyes did not fail you), and then radiate this amazing softness outward. Combine that w/ the ethereal glow from well exposed highlights, and you have yourself an image that just has "something" that other lenses most likely will not replicate.

I shoot w/ an M9P and while the balance is a little off compared to a smaller lens, I find it comfy w/ a Leica grip and Thumbs Up (especially when compared to carrying a heavy pro-body DSLR and tele lens). Its def on the heavy side though for Leica.

This is quickly becoming my favorite lens I've ever used on any camera for its unique ability to render a scene soft, yet sharp, and the colors it produces while keeping a good contrast. Add the glow as the cherry on top and you have yourself a winner.

I have not experienced focus shift (and hopefully will not anytime soon) w/ close or medium distances, but I will definitely start shooting w/ f2 and see if it can compare in sharpness to the wonderful 75 cron images that are out there. The focus throw is long as everyone says, but in my experiences so far, you tend to know where you are on the DOF scale w/ the subject you are intending to shoot, so the adjustment will be relatively short to nail the focus, assuming you have a good copy of the lens.

IMHO, I would say great for portrait work or anything that you have some time to compose, but probably not the best performer for street since moving subjects + long throw + added weight = potentially long and frustrating shooting session.

Re: 75 summilux version differences?

I've had my current 75 lux for quite a while; have shot with an early 75 with removable hood which had the same close focussing distance and have also shot with a German made one. The German made one is identical to mine; both optically and mechanically. The equipment used to make them was shipped to Wetzlar when the Midland shop was sold, same as with the Noctilux and some other lenses like the 35 Summicron. All those lenses plus a number of others were designed in Canada.

Mine has been dead on wide open with the digital bodies I've had. At 1.4 it's softer than the Summicron and lower contrast, which perks up at f/2, although you have to stop down to f/5.6 before the results become essentially indistinguishable. I have both, but generally prefer the lux.

If you see/get a stiff focussing one, it only means it's been sitting unused for a while. Use it, and it will become easy and smooth within a couple of months (or days, if you play with it 24/7 ).